Ne Na

Chiang Mai, Thailand

In March, 2014, we were accepted as residents into the Ne’na Contemporary Arts Space, in Chiang Mai (and Mae Rim), Thailand. Here we decided to focus our attentions on our creative process, experimenting with many different improvisatory and compositional techniques, and seeing how the core themes of Koski resonated in this new context.

Here was no dark cantina, but beautiful traditional Lanna buildings, amongst a bustling city streets in Chiang Mai, and rice paddies in Mae Rim. Here, insects drowned our voices, and spice burned our tongues. And here lurked the threat of civil war, as we were constantly reminded by intermittent gunfire from the nearby military base. As we prepared a final showing, with Malaysian filmmaker Tan Chui Mui participating and documenting, we began to understand the fluidity and power of Koski’s core, which, while held loosely and appearing very different in this performance to the first version, still came through strongly in the audience’s feedback.

Rice, bamboo and palm frond thatching became our new materials to work with.

Insects and the wind had a real presence in our performance. Swirls of rice formed on the floor.